Fulton's Orrery

It shows the positions and movements of the Sun, planets and moons as they were then understood. It is one of the largest and most complicated orreries in the world. The orrery is also remarkable because it was made by a self-taught young man. John Fulton was born in Fenwick, Ayrshire, in 1800. He left school aged 13 years. He was a cobbler, but in his spare time taught himself maths and astronomy. He started to make orreries as a teenager. This was his third and most ambitious one, and it took him 10 years to build. He made every part of the orrery. It is very complicated, with 175 wheels and more than 200 moving parts. His imagination and dedication to such a task makes him one of the greats of the Scottish Enlightenement.